


The Ways I Say I Love You

by orphan_account



Series: Peter and the Tower [28]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Background Relationships, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Harley Keener Needs a Hug, Hurt Harley Keener, Interns & Internships, Irondad, M/M, Michelle Jones Needs a Hug, Paparazzi, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Platonic Relationships, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, this is hard to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23714020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: There are different ways to say I love you. Physical contact, like hugs and kisses, reassurances, and spoken word. But there is more than that. Love, whether it be platonic or romantic, isn’t a transaction. Relationships and love bloom from selfless acts.ORHow people in the tower show they care for each other.
Series: Peter and the Tower [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1220861
Comments: 33
Kudos: 221
Collections: Marvel





	The Ways I Say I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> I'm tired but I was really determined to post this tonight... I did it yay me. On that note, I apologize in advance for grammar mistakes. Anyway enjoy my beautiful lovies! ALSO I am astounded at all the support I am getting for my mental health fic. I am still taking emails and comments if you feel comfortable helping out!!
> 
> Note- Not all of these relationships are romantic some are platonic!
> 
> TW** Wrong pronouns for a trans person, but quickly corrected! No intention to be harmful or cruel!

There are different ways to say I love you. Physical contact, like hugs and kisses, reassurances, and spoken word. But there is more than that. Love, whether it be platonic or romantic, isn’t a transaction. Relationships and love bloom from selfless acts. 

* * *

Andrea had slept in. The push at her arm had her groaning and rolling away.

“Leave me alone,” she mumbled into her pillow.

“Babe, you’re going to be late to work,” a gentle voice said. “It’s 7 o’clock.”

Her eyes opened at that. The receptionist shot out of bed. “Shit, I’m going to be late! Why didn’t you say anything?” Andrea complained to her wife as she ran to the closet.

She could practically hear Arden’s eyes roll. “I did.”

“Uh, huh.” Andrea answered absently as she threw on some nice clothes and made her way to the bathroom. The bed creaked as Arden got up.

“I’m gonna go walk the dog. I’m assuming I won’t see you when I get back?” Arden called from the living room.

“Nope!” Andrea answered through the toothbrush in her mouth.

“Alright, bye, babe. Love you,” Arden yelled as the door slammed behind her.

“Love you too!” Andrea called yet it probably went unheard. Andrea finished fixing up her hair and makeup and practically sprinted out the door. God she hoped she wasn’t going to be late.

It wasn’t until about 3 hours into her shift that Andrea realized she forgot her lunch at home.

She resisted the urge to bang her head against her desk, instead settling on a quiet groan. The food in the cafeteria was good, but Arden’s food was better. Even worse, Arden had made one of Andrea’s favorite dishes!  Andrea pouted to herself and settled on the fact that she wouldn’t get her wife’s amazing cooking for lunch. The amazing, homemade casserole. Made with love and care. The thought made her frown increase.

Nevertheless, she continued working diligently for an hour or two, answering emails, approving tours, greeting people entering the tower, and whatever else occurred until she saw a familiar body walk into the building.

“Arden?” Andrea said aloud, slightly confused. Surely, Arden had to be at the school working right now. Carlos, one of the security guards, recognized her and immediately let the woman through.

“Andrea!” Arden called, running over to the desk. She had a little lunch bag in her hand, and she looked out of breath.

“What are you doing here?” Andrea asked with a laugh as she kissed her wife’s cheek.

“Your lunch. You forgot it at home,” Arden explained through huffs. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Andrea asked with amused concern. Arden waved her off slightly.

“It’s lunch right now. I ran over. I know how much you love my chicken casserole.”

She smirked and handed the bag to her wife. Andrea let out a breathless laugh. “Have I ever told you you're my favorite person?”

“Not enough,” Arden said with a dramatic sniff. “Now, I really must be going. I’ll see you tonight!”

And with that, Arden ran back out the front doors and out to the streets, leaving her wife to stare at the place she was a moment ago.

Andrea shook her head and sat back down in her chair, trusty lunch now in hand. “That woman.”

* * *

West pulled his fresh pecan pie out of the oven. It smelled delicious, as usual. He set it on the counter to cool and washed his hands.

The dessert just so happened to be Harley’s favorite. Everyone noticed Harley had been off over the last few days. More snappish. More isolated. Less friendly. And no one knew why. Not even Peter or MJ who knew everything about the boy.

“FRIDAY? Can you please ask Harley to come down?” West called to the ceiling.

“Of course, Mr. Harris. He will be down in a moment.”

“Thank you, FRIDAY,” West said with a smile as he waited eagerly. Not a moment later, the elevator opened and the gloomy boy stepped out.

“You wanted me?” Harley murmured as he stepped closer to West. West nodded, ignoring the way his heart tugged at the boy’s tired and puffy eyes.

“Yes, I wanted you to taste my latest dessert,” West smiled gently as he stepped aside. “It’s a-”

“Pecan pie,” the boy said faintly. “My favorite.”

West leaned off the counter and rested a hand on Harley’s shoulder, pulling him closer.

“I thought, who better to try it than the expert on pecan pies,” West said with a chuckle. Harley shifted his gaze from the pie to West, analyzing him intensely for a moment. It was sad. He seemed to be looking for an ulterior motive.

“Okay,” Harley said finally though it sounds a little choked. West cut Harley a slice and set it on a plate in front of him. 

“Thanks.”

Harley fiddled with his fork for a moment before finally pressing it into the pie. He stared at the piece while West stared at him. Slowly, he popped the piece into his mouth.  Harley’s eyes shut and he took a deep breath, a single tear escaping his eye. Harley hummed contently. “It’s very good.”

West grinned widely. “I’m glad you think so.”

And there it was again. The inquisitive search of West’s face, looking for true intentions. West brought his arm across Harley’s shoulders in a comforting motion, not missing the way Harley flinched, then leaned in for a second, before pushing himself away from West by at least two feet.

“Thank you,” Harley stammered. “I better, uh, I better go.”

“Of course, Harley. If you want more, feel free to come grab some.”

Harley squirmed uncomfortably for a moment before nodding quickly and running to the elevator. When the elevator closed, West couldn’t stop the dejected sigh that came out of him as he stared at the slice he gave Harley, only one bite taken out of it.

* * *

On Saturday morning, Zach lazily strolled into the common room of the LD’s floor with the goal to make himself food. Every other Saturday, the tower was closed to all interns and scientists so the LDs basically had the tower to themselves. That’s why he wasn’t surprised when he was greeted with the sight of the LDs doing domestic things. 

West, Marissa, and Ellis were all cuddled up on the couch under one blanket watching something on the tv, which was muted with subtitles. Lewis and Noah, being the love birds they were, were sleeping in each other's arms in one of the huge bean bags in a corner of the room, a blanket thrown over them. Charlotte and Ben were working on their laptops next to each other at the dining room table, silent unless they had a question for the other. Meanwhile, Anne was making her famous English breakfast with help from Josie and Chase, who were sneaking each other bites behind Anne’s back. On the floor in front of the couch, Alex and Alison were working tiredly with a holographic form of one of their new projects. They must have been at bit for quite a bit, if the bags under their eyes and slouched forms were anything to tell by.

What really stood out though was Nora, who was angrily typing at her laptop, the only disruption to the calm scene.

“Nora,” Zach acknowledged as he walked into the kitchen and sat on one of the island stools. She shot him a smile, but it was obviously fake and forced.

“Morning, Zach.”

“... you okay?”

He was kinda scared of the answer. However, he was pleasantly surprised when she only sighed and closed her laptop.

“Yea, my laptop’s not working. I’m gonna have to take it in to get fixed or get a new one,” She frowned. “Alright, I’m going to go work on my project on Gamma, see you later, Zach.”

She headed to the elevator. Zach looked at the laptop she left on the table. Well, he was good with computers…

Nora was frustrated. First her laptop and now her project. She was trying to create a new support system for buildings against floods, yet her calculations were off and every time she ran the program, the building collapsed. She had been working on it for hours.

But she refused to give up. 

She stared at the failed program for a moment before picking herself up and restarting the calculations. A knock at the window of her lab made her stop.

It was Zach.

“Hey,” She said with a small smile. “What’s up.”

He walked into the doorframe and held his arm out. In his hand was her laptop. She raised her eyebrow at him and gingerly took it from him.

“My laptop?”

“I fixed it,” Zach said nonchalantly as he crossed his arms. She opened the laptop in slight disbelief. It worked perfectly. Zach’s mind caught up a moment later that Nora had flung her into his arms.

“Thank you so much.”

He allowed himself to grin. “You’re welcome.”

* * *

It was a busy day for one Peter Parker. He had been running around nonstop. Testing. Helping interns. Approving projects. Blowing shit up.  _ Preventing  _ shit from blowing up. Repeat.

He was currently approving projects. Not the most fun thing to do. It usually involved making sure all of the calculations, procedures, materials, and more of projects and experiments were correct. It felt like busy work, but it was important.

He was halfway through his stack of papers to approve when the door to his lab opened. He looked up to find Josie standing before him. The older girl was wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, still wearing pajamas and looking miserable.

She looked at what he was doing and a frown appeared on her face. “Oh, you’re busy, sorry, I’ll just go…”

“Hey, no, it’s okay,” Peter said with a smile as he put the papers done.

“You’re working, she protested slightly, taking a step back.

“The work can wait. What’s up?”

She coughed lightly into her elbow and shrugged. “Feeling kinda sick. Having a bad mental health day. Wanted to spend some time with you.”

“FRIDAY clear all my plans for the day,” Peter called up as he stood from his desk and walked to Josie.

“Peter, you’re-”

“The work can wait." He repeated. "Now I don’t know about you, but I want to watch Big Hero 6.”

She giggled lightly at his comment as they linked hands. When they stepped into the elevator, she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Hey, Petey?”

A hum.

“Thanks.”

* * *

It was midafternoon and Alex had just got off shift. All she wanted was sleep. She entered the LD’s floor, ready to pass out on the nearest object.

The only ones in the common room were Ellis, who was typing on his laptop, and Liam, who was sleeping, both on the couch. Alex checked her watch, 1 PM.

She groaned quietly yet willed herself to the cabinets and pulled out Ellis’ medication. She put two of the pills in her hand and grabbed a cup of water.

“Ellis,” she said gently to not startle him. He looked up from his work. 

“Your medicine,” She reminded him as she handed him the pills and the cup.

“Shit, thank you. I didn’t even realize it was the afternoon,” he said before swallowing the pills.

She rolled her eyes yet leaned over the couch and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, having to move his hair to do so. He leaned into it happily, a smile blooming on his face.

“Not like you would've remembered, loser,” she said with a playful grin as she walked into the hallway. The only sign of her victory was the indignant squawk he made after her comment.

* * *

Lewis was nervous. Well, actually, nervous was an understatement. He was terrified.

The subway to his banker was too quiet for his taste. The music playing from his earbuds was barely heard over the thumping of his heart. It was the trip every post-college kid dreaded. 

How much debt am I in and how long is it going to take to pay off?

Years, if you're lucky. Decades were much more probable. 

Lewis shivered at the thought. Noah offered to come, but Lewis politely declined. This was something he had to do alone. He felt so strongly about that that he didn’t even tell anyone else at the tower, just requested the morning off.

He was only 24, but he went to Stanford, damnit. There were prices to be paid for a good education. 

The front of the bank loomed over him. He took a deep breath and stepped in. The line was dreadfully short and before he knew it he was at the counter.

“Hi, um,” he cleared his throat. “I have an appointment with Mr. Henderson.”

The old, mean-looking woman behind the counter shot him a condescending stare. “For what time?”

“Oh! Uh, 10:30?”

“... and what is the name under the appointment?”

  
  
“Right, right it’s, um, it’s Lewis Jordan?”

“... one moment please.”

She typed something on her computer while Lewis stood awkwardly. 

“Mr. Henderson will see you now. Please make your way to door 8A.”

She gestured in that direction. 

“Right!” Lewis said quickly with a bounce. “Thank you!”

He rubbed his fingers together almost aggressively as he approached the door. The door seemed to be daunting him. Challenging him to enter. He paused for a moment before gently turning the knob and entering the room.

“Ms. Jordan! How nice to see you!” Mr. Henderson said pleasantly. Lewis winced and coughed awkwardly.

“It’s actually, Mr. Jordan now. I… I go by Lewis.”

Mr. Henderson’s face lit up in horror. “Oh, my dear boy, I am so sorry! I was not aware!”

“It’s alright.” He was used to it. Mr. Henderson was the family banker and had known Lewis since childhood, but Lewis hadn't seemed him since he transitioned.

“Please, sit down. Have a cookie!” Mr. Henderson said with a soft smile. Lewis smiled back feeling the nerves melt away. He graciously took a cookie, Linzer, his favorite.

“So, we are here to talk about your college debt,” Mr. Henderson started out, adjusting the glasses on his face to read the paper in front of him. Lewis nodded slowly, still munching on the cookie.

“My parents were going to pay for it, but after I came out, they cut me off. They didn’t even give me a penny,” Lewis revealed bitterly.

“I always liked you better than your parents anyway, Mr. Jordan,” Mr. Henderson declared, not looking up from the papers, which he was now staring at in confusion.

“You do?”

“Of course, my boy. You have always been very clever and polite.”

Lewis couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his face and tears that clouded in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away, hoping Mr. Henderson would notice.

“How bad is it?” Lewis asked, fingers rubbing against the sides of his jeans to alleviate the nerves.

“My boy, you do not have any debt,” Mr. Henderson said as he set the papers down. 

Lewis blinked at him owlishly before shaking his head. “That can’t be right.”

Mr. Henderson nodded, picking up the paper once more and showing it to Lewis. “It says here that all of your debt from Stanford University was paid off by a Mr. Tony Stark.”

His mouth opened and closed, searching for the right answer.

“What?” he croaked. Mr. Henderson seemed to understand. He laid a gentle hand on Lewis’ shoulder. 

“Lewis, you have no debt.”

Lewis couldn’t help the tears start to spring down his eyes.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” he repeated in disbelief.

“I believe you have someone to thank,” Mr. Henderson said with a knowing smile. Lewis nodded rapidly and stood from his chair.

“Thank you, Mr. Henderson!” Lewis said sincerely.

“You are very welcome, Mr. Jordan.”

Lewis practically ran out of the bank and to the subway. The whole ride home he was vibrating with energy. Thoughts flew through his head so quick he could barely keep track of them. 

He arrived at the tower and ran into an elevator.

“FRIDAY, take me to Mr. Stark, please!” The boy said urgently. FRIDAY obliged. The elevator stopped on one of the Zeta floors.

“Mr. Stark is currently running diagnostics and is alone,” FRIDAY informed him though Lewis barely heard her. He hurtled off the elevator and immediately spotted Tony in the hall.

Lewis didn’t even try to stop himself as he rammed into Tony’s chest, knocking the man back a few feet. 

“Lewis?” Tony questioned slightly.

Lewis could only sob in return as he gripped Tony tightly. 

“Lewis,” Tony said again, but calmer this time. Lewis felt an arm wrap around his back to support him while a hand gently turned his chin so he was staring into the concerned face of Tony Stark.

“Are you okay? Did you and Noah get into a fight?” Tony asked, trying to figure out the problem so he could fix it. Lewis was struck by the love and care that clearly showed in Tony’s eyes.

Lewis shook his head and cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

It came out quiet, but he was sure Tony heard it. “For what, cucciolo?”

“My college debt, it’s all paid off,” Lewis explained, still trying to wrap his head around the fact.

Tony chuckled lightly and pulled Lewis tighter and more secure in his arms. “All this over some money, kiddo?”

Lewis laughed too, rubbing his cheeks awkwardly. “I just really appreciate it. It means a lot to me. Thank you.”

Tony beamed at the younger boy, pressing a kiss to his crown. “Don't sweat it, kid.”

* * *

MJ was walking home alone today. Peter had gotten detention,  _ again _ , and Harley had murmured about how he had to do a group project before heading to the library. Of course, the one day of the week they decide to walk home both boys flake.

She knew it wasn't their faults, but she also knew she was getting more uncomfortable by the minute as more eyes started to follow her. She quickened the pace. The tower was in view.

And of course, that’s when it started. 

“Ms. Jones, how are you doing today?”

“Ms. Jones we have seen evidence-”

“Ms. Jones-”

“Ms.-”

She couldn’t handle it today. She ignored them and kept walking. She was almost there, she was almost there. The reporters and paparazzi were getting more persistent, however. Some even dared to tap and push her. She shut her eyes, almost there, almost there-

A warm hand wrapped around her and pressed her against a warm body. She looked up. It was Drew, one of the security guards for the tower. She relaxed slightly and allowed him to pull her towards the tower.

“Keep your head down, kid. We’re almost there,” he whispered to her. She nodded in response, she knew that, she kept telling that to herself over and over. The walk seemed long, yet before she knew it they were stepped into the lobby.

But the paps were determined this time. Drew quickly stepped in front of MJ and turned to face the cameras, effectively blocking them from MJ with his body.

“Ms. Jones is now on Mr. Stark’s private property. Anyone who enters will be sued,” Drew decared. “I will not hesitant to throw anyone who steps even a foot into this building out, hard.”

He glared at them to finish it off. “Leave. Now.”

Some, the wiser ones, listened. Others stayed and continued to take pictures. MJ didn’t really mind though. She was safe. She was home. 

Drew turned back to face her and personally escorted her through the gates. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Yea, thanks for the save.”

He nodded seriously. “Anytime. Next time you have to walk home alone, don’t, okay? You call Happy, hell, call me. Don’t do something stupid.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Fine.”

A small, barely there smile tugged at his lips. It was gone a second later, and his cold exterior returned. “Good. Now go on, don’t want to keep Ms. Potts waiting.”

* * *

Miriam had just gotten to the tower. She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she walked through the doors. Andrea wasn’t there yet, which is to be expected at 4 in the morning, but 2 of the security guards on duty gave her brief nods of acknowledgement.

Sometimes, Miriam would just stay at the tower with Chase, her boyfriend, considering some of her clothes were in his room and the other LDs never minded, but most of the time that was not the case.  FRIDAY brought her up to the medbay and Miriam began setting up for the day. Miriam was on the Med team and a lot of preparation went into getting the team and the med bay ready. 

They had to always be ready for injured heroes, small science boo boos, and all the other crazy things that popped up in the tower.  Miriam reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt, which was really Chase’s that she was “borrowing”, to pull out her phone. However, she felt something else in the pocket. She grabbed it and pulled it out, revealing it to be a small piece of paper.

Her eyes sparkled in curiously as she unfolded it. 

_ Have a great day! ~ C _

Miriam smiled fondly and held the little letter close to her heart for a moment. The first thing to do was turn on all the lights and restock the supplies in the rooms if it wasn’t done the night before. Room by room, she turned on the lights.

In each room, there was a different color, folded paper sitting on the bed. 

_ You’re awesome! _

_ I love you, honey <3 _

_ I’m thinking about you :)) _

Were some of the notes she found. It made her heart swell and cheeks burn up as she read them. Chase must have known she was opening today.

She stored all of the notes in her pocket as she continued going through her list of things to do. Next was to check the supply closet and patient logs. They checked patient logs because sometimes when someone came to the tower injured or were injured at the tower, especially if it was a serious injury, there were follow up steps for the injury. Sometimes, there was medication that needed to be refilled, other times there were physical therapy appointments that needed to be scheduled, and so forth.

Miriam first went to the storage closet. She almost dropped her clipboard at the sight. She didn’t know how, but Chase had somehow found a way to fill the room with notes. Who even gave him access to it?

_ I love your smile _

_ Your brilliance always blows my mind _

_ I want to kiss you _

Each one left her extremely flustered yet touched. He went through so much trouble just to make her smile. She quickly put the notes in her pocket, but found it was overflowing. Instead, she moved them to her backpack. When she unzipped it, there were more notes.

_ My heart is yours _

_ Us <3 _

“That man,” Miriam whispered to herself through a giggle. Miriam tried to straighten herself out, but she couldn’t help it. The smile wouldn’t leave her face.  She eventually decided that it would be more beneficial to find all the notes now before everyone else got there. She had to hand it to him, Chase tried very hard to get notes everywhere.

In the fridge, stucky to the computers, with the cleaning supplies.

And if she still had a smile on her face when the rest of the team started piling in? Well, they didn’t need to know why. Their love was between them.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed! Yell at me in the comments! Still asking for your POV on mental illness if you would like to leave a comment or email me @ shirsbluesammy@gmail.com . Stay safe my dudes!


End file.
